Of all nu-metal bands the American Taproot is still a small one, but one of the better ones. Their debut album Gift was generally well received but did not cause as much controversy as hoped. On Welcome, the same recipe is used again, but now just a bit tighter and lower. Singer Stephen Richards also appears to have improved by leaps and bounds and even has just as low registers as the late Layne
… Staley (Alice In Chains). In addition, the dynamic play between melody and dissonance makes almost every song more than worthwhile and never predictable. With Welcome Taproot earns the title 'original', which is rarely awarded in nu-metal, but whether that is enough to become one of the real big boys is still the question nowadays. (RWK)more
